Inflating toy

ABSTRACT

An inflating toy, whereby, after soaking the inflating toy in water for a period of time, the inflating toy thereupon inflates in size manyfold, and primarily comprising an inflating toy and a covering; the inflating toy is fitted within the covering. The covering is filled with an appropriate quantity of water, such that the inflating toy is completely soaked in the water, and thereupon gradually expands in size manyfold with the lapse of time. However, volume expansion of the inflating toy is limited to expansion within the covering, thereby precluding children from mistakenly eating the inflating toy, and enhancing safety thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to inflating toys, whereby after soakingthe inflating toy in water for a period of time, the inflating toythereupon inflates in size manyfold. The present invention moreparticularly relates to an inflating toy that is fitted inside acovering, thereby providing a safety function thereof.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

Usage of conventional inflating toys requires placing the inflating toyinto a retaining flask (container), whereupon, after inflating, theinflating toy cannot be removed from the retaining flask. Furthermore,the inflating toy is fabricated in the container. However, all thecontainers pertain to containers having a hard exterior. Conventionalinflating toys may also be soaked directly in a water pail, a washbasin,or other coverless containers. After a certain period of time, originalvolume of the inflating toy has gradually expanded in size several fold.Referring to FIG. 1, which shows the volume of a conventional inflatingtoy 10 before being engulfed in water. The inflating toy is about a sizeof a finger. After soaking in the water for 30 minutes, the inflatingtoy inflates in size with the gradual lapse of time. Generally, aftersoaking in water, the inflating toy expands in size several fold, asFIG. 2 shows. Conventional inflating toys are produced in a greatvariety of adorable styles such as a whale, a shark, etc., so as toattract attention of children to play with. However, if care is notfostered on these types of inflating toys, children very easily confusethe inflating toy as a small snack and mistakenly eat the inflating toy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of aforesaid drawbacks, the present invention has perfected adesign for an inflating toy having a covering that adds a safety aspectand a securing against accidents. A principal objective of the presentinvention is for the inflating toy to provide a toy of high safety, andprecludes children from mistakenly eating the inflating toy.

A perfected structure of the inflating toy according to the presentinvention primarily comprises an inflating toy and a covering. Theinflating toy is enclosed within a covering; further, the covering isadapted to be fillable with water, thereby facilitating soaking of theinflating toy in the water. However, after the inflating toy inflates,the inflating toy is restricted by the covering therein, therebypreventing children from mistakenly eating the inflating toy, and thusenhancing a safety aspect of the inflating toy.

In order for easy understanding of aforesaid objectives, and othercharacteristics and advantages of the present invention, preferredembodiments in accompaniment with enclosed drawings are describedhereinafter.

To enable a further understanding of the said objectives and thetechnological methods of the invention herein, the brief description ofthe drawings below is followed by the detailed description of thepreferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional inflating toy beforeinflating.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional inflating toy afterinflating.

FIG. 3 shows an elevational view of the inflating toy before inflatingaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows an elevational view of one embodiment of the inflating toyafter inflating according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows an elevational view of another embodiment of the inflatingtoy according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 3, which shows an elevational view of a perfectedstructure of an inflating toy according to the present invention. AsFIG. 3 shows, the perfected structure of the inflating toy comprises theinflating toy 10 and a covering 40. The covering 40 is manufactured fromsoft waterproof material such as PVC. The soft waterproof material isprocessed to fabricate a pocket type covering. Furthermore, the covering40 is configured with a water refiller orifice 41. An unstop plug 42 isconfigured on the water refiller orifice 41. Before inflating, thevolume of the inflating toy is very small, however, because theinflating toy is enclosed within the covering 40, children cannot easilyconfuse the inflating toy 1 for a snack and mistakenly eat thereof.

Usage of the inflating toy 10 involves filling the covering 40 withwater through the water refiller orifice 41, and upon water completelyfilling the covering 40, a plug 42 is pushed into the water refillerorifice 41 thereof, wherewith the covering 40 filled with watercompletely envelops the inflating toy 10 in water within the covering40. After allowing the inflating toy 10 to steep in the water for aperiod of time, the inflating toy thus begins to inflate, and thereuponexpands in size. However, the inflating toy is still restricted toinflating within space constituting the covering 40. FIG. 4 shows theinflating toy after inflating in size.

Referring to FIG. 5, which shows another preferred embodiment of aperfected structure providing a safety aspect of the inflating toyaccording to the present invention, whereby the inflating toy is adaptedfor usage as a hanging ornament. As FIG. 5 shows, a ring 43 may beconfigured on the covering 40, and thereof threaded with fine thread orstring for use as the hanging ornament. Moreover, the covering 40 mayalso be filled with sequins or various colored paillettes, therebyenabling the integral inflating toy to be more dazzling, and thusenhance artistic value.

From the aforementioned, structural improvement of the present inventionutilizes a pocket type covering 40 that provides high safety andwaterproof protection. The covering 40 is further configured with thewater refiller orifice 41 and the plug 42. Furthermore, the inflatingtoy 10 is entirely enclosed within the covering 40. Therefore, beforethe inflating toy inflates, because the volume of the covering is large,children are prevented from the risk of mistakenly eating the inflatingtoy 10. Moreover, upon filling the covering 40 with water, even thoughthe inflating toy 10 has inflated to a large size, the inflating toy 10is unable to emerge from the restricting space of the covering 40,thereby preventing children from mistakenly eating the inflating toy 10.According to the embodiments as disclosed above, advantages of thepresent invention are outlined hereinafter:

-   -   (1) A prior art inflating toy is placed within a retaining        bottle (container) for play use, whereby, upon inflating, the        inflating toy is unable to be removed from the retaining bottle.        The present invention adapts a method whereby the inflating toy        10 is directly fabricated inside the container, thus preventing        removal even before inflating, thereby enhancing a safety aspect        when children are playing with the inflating toy.    -   (2) Another prior art inflating toy is fabricated within the        container, however the container pertains to one having a hard        exterior such as a retaining flask. Moreover, the container        having a relatively large volume results in inconvenience when        packaging and shipping. The present invention utilizes soft        plastic (such as: PVC, TPU, TPE, etc. . . . ), thereby allowing        folding of the inflating toy to a relatively small size for        packaging, and thus reducing transportation costs.    -   (3) The present invention utilizes soft plastic material,        enabling folding and easy carrying of the inflating toy before        filling with water. Upon filling with water, the inflating toy        may be used as a hanging ornament without taking up space.    -   (4) European Union safety regulations stipulate that inflating        toys cannot expand in size to over 50% within 24 hrs. However,        adapting usage of the covering 40 as a safety measure signifies        that range of inflation size of the inflating toy according to        the present invention is not limited by the regulations as        imposed by the European Union.

In conclusion, the perfected structure of the inflating toy according tothe present invention as disclosed in the embodiments above assuredlyachieves objective of providing an inflating toy of high safety, whilepreventing children from mistakenly eating the inflating toy thereof.

It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described hereinis merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that awide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilledin the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionas set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An inflating toy, inflating in size with thelapse of time, expanding in size several fold after soaking in water,and characterized in that the inflating toy is enclosed within a soft,pocket type covering; the covering is configured with a water refillerorifice, and an unstop plug is configured on the water refiller orifice;usage of the inflating toy 10 involves filling the covering with waterthrough the water refiller orifice, and allowing the inflating toy to becompletely steeped in the water for a period of time, whereupon, becauseof being soaked in the water, the inflating toy inflates in size, whilevolume of the inflating toy is restricted to within space constitutingthe covering.
 2. The inflating toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein thecovering is transparent.
 3. The inflating toy as claimed in claim 1,wherein the inflating toy is more than one.
 4. The inflating toy asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the covering is configured with a ring forhanging thereon.
 5. The inflating toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein thecovering is filled with an appropriate quantity of sequins or variouscolored paillettes.